ARMAGH MARCH TO EIGHTH ULSTER TITLE
ARMAGH 3-9 DONEGAL 0-7
Richard Bullick in Clones
There were two cracking goals by Aoife McCoy and a Player of the Match performance from her fellow 2024 All Star Lauren McConville as Armagh claimed their eighth Ulster title with a double-digit victory over underdogs Donegal in the Clones showpiece.
McCoy and the then teenager McConville had both scored in the big game last time Armagh played a ladies Ulster final as a curtain-raiser to a men’s match and, 11 years on from that upset of Monaghan in the same stadium, both are rightly regarded as Orchard legends.
That 2014 triumph ended seven lean years without a provincial crown for the orangewomen whereas Saturday was Armagh’s eighth consecutive Ulster final appearance and brought their fifth title in five seasons this decade.
Unfancied Donegal’s understandable damage limitation approach perhaps helped ensure that Armagh’s superiority didn’t translate into more than a dozen scores, but it was encouraging that those came from a spread of 10 players.
That statistic is even more impressive considering that there were no flags raised by Armagh’s top-scorer so far this season with 0-32, Niamh Reel, another regular contributor Blaithin Mackin or the iconic Caroline O’Hanlon.
Apart from McCoy, the only other Armagh player to score more than once was Ballyhegan’s Eve Lavery, while three of the Orchard outfit’s five subs got in on the act, former skipper Kelly Mallon along with Derrynoose young guns Maeve Lennon and Caoimhe McNally.
Joe Feeney and Darnell Parkinson’s Orchard crew came into this Clones showpiece as firm favourites against a Donegal side shorn of some of their leading lights who have shone during the period of great rivalry between these counties in recent years.
But the orangewomen were also strongly tipped to win when Donegal dethroned them at Owenbeg two years ago and again going into last May’s clash in Clones, where newly-crowned National League champions Armagh just squeezed home after extra-time.
This time, Armagh were coming off the back of an unexpected 15-point drubbing by Kerry in last month’s NFL final but a strong start, with the sublime McCoy netting twice in the first 13 minutes, helped ensure the holders didn’t get jittery.
While Donegal were without several household names, notably Niamh McLaughlin, Armagh haven’t been able to call upon the services of ace markswoman Aimee Mackin and 2024 Ulster All Star Dearbhla Coleman so far this season due to injury.
Additionally, Louise Kenny was ruled out by the injury sustained in the early stages of the NFL final, another Shanes player Moya Feehan didn’t feature in the matchday squad and Roisin Mulligan had to withdraw after damaging her hand at training on Thursday night.
Armagh’s 2024 Player of the Year was replaced by Clann Eireann clubmate Megan McCann, who has been a relatively peripheral figure so far in her Orchard career but can take great satisfaction and confidence from featuring for the whole hour in an Ulster final win.
Although in relative terms this is the Orchard’s softest Ulster title to date – guaranteed a place in a straight final against second division opposition and comfortable throughout on the day – the memorable occasion will live long in Armagh memories.
By the second half, there would have been a five-figure crowd watching, bringing back memories of a similar scenario 11 years ago albeit that Armagh were the outsiders on that occasion against a Farney outfit fancied to make it five Ulster titles on the trot.
O’Hanlon, McCoy, McConville, Niamh Henderson and Mallon all started the 2014 final while Lavery, current goalkeeper Anna Carr and Catherine Marley – who came off the bench on Saturday – were all young unused subs on that occasion.
Having worn the No 6 jersey for more than 50 consecutive Armagh matches before being listed at left half back against Kerry last month, the headline news from Friday’s team announcement was McConville’s switch to her original Orchard role of wing forward.
Armagh Harps livewire Emily Druse shifted from the half forward line to wing back but typically covered a lot of ground while McConville is guaranteed to be a constant menace to the opposition on both sides of the ball regardless of the number on her back.
Although Armagh were expected to win and probably didn’t learn an awful lot of relevance to tougher tests ahead, they got this job done with the minimum of fuss, no obvious injuries and giving game-time to the five subs most likely to feature over the next couple of months.
Mallon remains a key forward despite not starting the NFL final or on Saturday, former regular Catherine Marley has an awful lot to offer and the versatile Sarah Quigley showed her worth when called upon last season.
Confident newcomer McNally has consistently produced point-scoring cameos in this her first senior season, while her fellow Derrynoose forward Lennon is such a prolific figure at club level and well worth Armagh investing in.
Neither McConville nor O’Hanlon often come off the field for Armagh but being subbed separately at the weekend when the win was in the bag gave these two wonderful Orchard heroes the opportunity of their own ovations, so that was a nice touch too.
O’Hanlon was prominent in the early exchanges, controlling the tempo as well as hitting the post low down with a dipping shot in the second minute, and Donegal also survived a high ball dropped into their goalmouth by Lavery.
The first Armagh goal originated from a brilliant turnover won by Henderson on her own 45, followed by Lavery smartly and deftly keeping the ball in play and linking with O’Hanlon, who supplied a perfect hand-pass to McCoy.
The lethal Dromintee attacker cut in from the right before firing a precision shot into the near top corner on six minutes and Armagh were seven up by the end of what was a scoreless first quarter for Donegal.
Persistence and bravery by McConville won possession in deep defence, Druse streaked down the right and laid off for Lavery, who found Blaithin Mackin and, although her ball for McCoy was wayward, Henderson picked up and hooked over a great point under pressure.
McCambridge cut out several balls into the Orchard defence and, although nothing came of Lavery hanging up another teaser at the other end, the captain’s next intervention sparked the attack which led to McCoy’s second goal.
This one was even better as it involved an exhilarating run and the 31-year-old slicing right through the Donegal defence before unleashing a wonderful finish high into the top right corner which nearly detached the net.
Mackin won the opposition kickout but was wildly wide with one of those speculative shots that she appears to have got into the habit of trying, though Donegal’s Susie White soon pulled the ball low past Carr’s right-hand post in a let-off for Armagh.
Lavery kicked a towering wide with the referee playing advantage but the free didn’t lead to anything thanks to an Armagh infringement as O’Hanlon sent it in, and Donegal finally registered their first score in the 18th minute with a set-piece conversion by White.
Druse had given the free away with a slightly unnecessary push, but the former Queen’s skipper pulled the point back herself within two minutes, forcefully cutting through traffic at pace and firing over nicely from an acute angle on the right.
The irrepressible 21-year-old found herself in a similar situation again soon afterwards but this time laid the ball back to Reel, whose shot went behind for a 45 which was taken by Mackin but easily cut out by the Donegal defence.
Evelyn McGinley had kicked a wide for Donegal in between and, after it took four defenders to stop McCoy as she bore down on goal looking to complete a first half hat-trick, good pressure from Druse may have contributed to a Katie Dowds shot going off target.
Lavery kicked a nice point after Druse had shown typical courage in putting her body on the line to recycle possession just before Donegal gaffer James Daly made a double substitution with 26 minutes gone.
With the clock counting down to the interval, Armagh held their nerve in probing for an opening. It arrived when O’Hanlon picked out Grace Ferguson coming on a nice line and the 2024 All Star corner back kicked a fine point to make it 2-4 to 0-1 at the break.
Now playing into the slight breeze, Armagh made an enterprising start to the second half in attacking from the throw-in but Lavery kicked a wide with 20 seconds gone and Donegal got the next score courtesy of a long-range free from White.
McConville posted a fantastic score off her weaker left foot despite being fouled as she burst through with trademark determination and the Crossmaglen legend then showed her ruthless streak by ferociously winning a turnover and ploughing forward again.
McCoy pushed a shot past the far post and, although Donegal got a good point at the other end through Cait Gillespie, Armagh threatened again through another darting run by McConville just before Reel was substituted for Mallon.
A long shot by O’Hanlon was almost kept in at the endline by her midfield partner Niamh Coleman and Donegal registered the next score via Dowds after White had drawn a blank with a free from distance.
Mackin kicked another wide and Mallon struck the near post but, after a nice interception by the former out on the left sideline, Henderson and McCoy combined to find Coleman with her back to goal and the Lurgan school-teacher turned before delivering a clinical low finish.
Coleman’s very well-taken goal put Armagh 10 points ahead at the start of the final quarter, though a disputed point by sub Rhiana McColgan briefly reduced the arrears before Mallon confidently drove over a free when O’Hanlon was fouled on the left.
Experienced campaigner Marley, Armagh’s joint Player of the Year for 2020, took over from McConville and Druse set up Lavery for her second point with a burst down the middle before the Derrynoose duo of McNally and Lennon replaced O’Hanlon and Lavery.
Donegal drove a wide across the Armagh posts before their goalkeeper dealt well with a huge hoist by Mallon, and McCoy was whistled for over-carrying just after the final Orchard change had seen Grace Ferguson give way to Clonmore’s Quigley.
A nice score by Lennon – when she cut in from the left, side-stepped a defender and split the posts with a left-footed strike – was sandwiched between a couple of good points for Donegal by impressive young sub Eva Gallagher.
But Armagh had the last word off a long Carr kickout, McNally maintaining what is quickly becoming an established tradition of weighing in with a score coming off the bench by chipping over a trademark point on the run with her cultured left foot.
ARMAGH: A Carr; M Ferguson, C McCambridge (capt), C Towe; E Druse (0-1), M McCann, G Ferguson (0-1); C O’Hanlon, N Coleman (1-0); B Mackin, A McCoy (2-0), L McConville (0-1); E Lavery (0-2), N Henderson (0-1), N Reel. Subs used: K Mallon (0-1, 1f) for Reel (39mins), C Marley for McConville (49), C McNally (0-1) for O’Hanlon (51), M Lennon (0-1) for Lavery (51), S Quigley for G Ferguson (53).
DONEGAL: C Friel; S McFadden, A Temple-Asokuh, S McFeeley; N Carr, E McGinley, C Gillespie (0-1); A Walsh, R Rodgers (capt); N Boyle, K Dowds (0-1), F McMenamon; J McFadden, M Bennett, S White (0-2, 2f). Subs used: U Boyle for Walsh (26), B McLaughlin for Temple-Asokuh (26), TR Mahon for McFadden (ht), E Gallagher (0-2) for McMenamon (43), R McColgan (0-1) for Bennett (43).
Referee: Gavin Finnegan (Down).
